TAMPA, Fla. (NewsNation Now) — A New England Patriots team plane carrying 76 healthcare workers took off from Logan International Airport Sunday and headed for Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
Vaccinated and representing all six New England states, the men and women are part of some 7,500 healthcare workers from across the country attending the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs as honorary guests of the NFL.
Brian Gilbert is a health care worker at Tampa General Hospital is among the limited group getting tickets to the game.
“To be there with my team sitting in the stands watching this, it’s just going to be amazing,” he said. “I’m probably not going to have a voice the next day.”
The trip is all-expenses-paid and Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a statement on the team’s website that he’s not just hoping to honor the healthcare workers for being on the frontlines of the pandemic but to promote the vaccine and encourage people to get the shot.
“It’s an honor for us to celebrate these healthcare workers by giving them a well-deserved break for a day and an opportunity to enjoy the Super Bowl, a reality that is only made possible because of the vaccines,” Kraft’s statement reads.
“We hope that in doing so, others are also encouraged to get vaccinated as they are able,” Kraft said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
